To Walk the Line Between Darkness and Light
by Shadow Chaser
Summary: Being a Ranger isn't easy, as David Sheridan knows, but his abilities are tested as those close to him are thrust into terrible danger to face a very ancient enemy. [ON HOLD]
1. Sleeping in Light

Babylon 5: To Walk the Line Between Darkness and Light 

By: Shadow Chaser

**Author's Notes:**

            I fell in love with _Babylon 5_ as I was entering my eighth grade year around 1998, when the fifth season was playing.  There I discovered a world of mystery, intrigue, with characters that were flawed and unique in their own way.  One particular character(s) that caught my eye was the Shadows.  I immediately liked them, and another that caught my eye, though not on the TV show, only in books, was Captain Sheridan's son, David.  I had a fan fic planned a while back, but never got past the planning stage, but with the advent of _Legend of the Rangers_, I'm glad to present my fanfic to the community.  _Babylon 5_ and all characters do not belong to me, they belong to J. Michael Strazynski; I am not making a profit out of this.  I hope you enjoy my offering to the B5 community.

**_Important Notes:_**

            I've determined that at the year 2281 David is roughly 18-19 years old in human terms.  In Minbari terms, that is around 20-21 years (give or take a few, I think).  I am assuming that David joined Ranger training at a young age, but hasn't really done any extensive training before and during his little episode with the Drakh Keeper.

**Story:**

Chapter 1 – Sleeping in Light Location: Fringes of Drazi Space, aboard the _Furies-class_ ISA ship _Junon_

Another blast rocked the ship violently and David Sheridan quickly grabbed onto the side control panel of his ship, the _Junon_ to stop himself from falling to the metal deck.  It was supposed to be a mock battle, his instructor and captain, Rendelli, had ordered him to take command, to test out what he had been training for.  After all, per his instructor's strict words was the fact that he was a newbie second in command and his "wings haven't been flown in the storm" yet, so to speak.

The _Junon_ was one of the first of its kind, of the new _Furies-class_ ships.  It was integrated with both Minbari and leftover Vorlon technology.  Although, the Humans had designed its interior, using its aggressive targeting system and defense capabilities, the ship didn't look as bad as some of the other joint Human-Minbari ships that were designed.  In fact, the ship was very sleek and streamlined – but not as beautiful as the legendary _White Stars_ of the Shadow War he thought to himself as he glanced over to the weapons officer aboard the ship.  "Mensan!  Where are those weapons?!"

"Damage to the external systems.  Elisa is working on the conversions.  She's taken most of the power that has been damaged and is rerouting them," the Minbari weapons officer Mensan, a part of the Night Winds clan of the Warrior caste replied a bit curtly as another blast to their hull rocked the ship even further.

David bit his lip and looked around, trying to reorganize his thoughts.  He glanced to his second-in-command also his good friend, Talenn who was sitting at the navigational controls, a bubble of the controls engulfing him.  So far he knew that their enemy were Raiders, but these Raiders had packed quite a punch and now they were trying to stop the last of them from reaching their base and alerting the others that the _Anla'shok_ knew they were in Drazi space.

His ship's weapons were nearly useless and he had to rely on the Weapons Interfacial System where one trained Ranger was to become the ship's weapons, using physical strength to fire off lasers and missiles.  It was a crude system and used up a lot of the Ranger's energy, but it would have to do for now.  He considered letting his instructor, who was watching the whole proceeding from the back of the command station, take over, but then it would be foolish to do so.

David had wanted command of a ship ever since he had begun training with the _Anla'shok_, bypassing his little episode with a Drakh Keeper that attached itself onto him, and now was his time to prove to his instructor that he was worthy of commanding a ship, any ship.  To let his instructor, the harsh and unbendable Rendelli, see that he was going to give up was unfathomable.  Besides, he didn't feel that it was a lost cause yet…he hoped…

"I want Elisa, in weapons, to shoot the engines.  We'll board the Raiders if we have to, but pour everything we have into the engines and comm system.  Ret'hsa!  Jammers?" he barked a command at his communications technician.

"Holding, sir.  We're getting some interference rays, but nothing that is of the worry," Ret'hsa, a female Narn who was one of the newest recruits, but proved herself to be very fluent in many languages, spoke from her bubble encased station.

"Navigation, I want you to keep that ship in our sights.  Don't even think of letting it go.  I want-" a sudden scream tore through the ship and David winced, then staggered underneath a tremendous explosion.  "That wasn't the Raiders…" he muttered as he picked himself from the floor, his eyes blinking in light of the smoke that had filled the bridge.

"What happened?!" he shouted, as he tried to see through the smoke.  He felt as if his lungs were dry and it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

"Damage, to engine navigational controls," Talenn spoke quietly from his bubble station, but his voice was one of urgency and David faced him.  He saw that the Minbari had a gash on the side of his head, near his left ear, the blood flowing freely, but his body language told one of calm and rational thinking.

"Do we have weapons?" a new voice spoke up and David felt his heart sink.  When Rendelli spoke up, he knew that he had failed in his first command, and with Raider ships…he hadn't acted fast enough.

"No, _Shok'Na_," Talenn replied, pressing a few buttons above him in the bubble which was flickering, "Weapons…weapons…have been destroyed.  I fear that Elisa Donohue has been killed when the interface system was destroyed."

David stiffened slightly at the death of a fellow Ranger.  He had known the fiery petite blonde who had so dedicated her life to the causes of the Rangers and of the Interstellar Alliance.  She had originally grown up on Mars, and was very young when the Civil War had struck Earth.  Now…with his indecision, he was responsible for the death of a good Ranger.

"_Shok'Na_," he rose up from his seat and was surprised to find himself bleeding from a shrapnel cut that had embedded itself to his side.

"Stay where you are _Shok'Nali_ Sheridan.  The battle isn't over yet," Rendelli ordered gruffly and moved to where the communications station was, carefully placing Ret'hsa's body to the side and activating the bubble around him.

"Status, Engine Control!" David spoke over a direct comm link to the engine room, praying that someone in there was still alive.

"We've got minor fires here, but nothing we can handle.  Jump engines have been knocked out, but we are repairing them as fast as we can," one of the engine room crew reported back and David couldn't place the voice.  That must have meant that the head of the engine room was dead or incapacitated.

"Engine Control, hurry with the jump engines," he turned to Rendelli, "what's status of communications?"

"In-ship is functional, but our long range has been knocked out.  We cannot get a message to the nearest colony if we could.  Short range is working fine, but the approximations to the nearest ship aren't too far.  We can only communicate with another ship if they are right along side us," Rendelli replied, and stared at him with eyes that still held a calculated measure of a captain testing his second-in-command.  "Your orders, _Shok'Nali_?"

"Talenn, what's the status of weapons?" David ignored Rendelli's question and frowned as he stared through the clearing smoke.

"I have already told you David-"

"I know that the Interfacial System has been destroyed…but do we have any different kind of weapons, anything at all.  Including rocks or stones if you please," he snapped at his friend, his patience wearing thin.

"We have rocks from the meditation room, if you want to stone the Raiders to death," Talenn muttered none too loudly, but David heard him just about the same as his hearing was as good as a Minbari, given his genetic lineage.  "We have some nuclear weapons-"

"Good," David jumped out of his seat, ignoring the fiery pain to his wound and turned to Rendelli, "_Shok'Na_, I'll need you to take command.  I have an idea that I don't know if it will work or not."

"David, what are you-" Rendelli started, but David brushed past him and was out of the command bridge before the Minbari could finish his sentence.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Talenn wondered, staring at the door his friend had just exited through.

"He is, after all, the son of _Entil'zha_ Sheridan, the Starkiller…so it may be true that the Human saying of 'Like father, like son' goes hand in hand," Rendelli replied, then took a seat that David had vacated and put a channel to the engine room.

"Engine, we will need faster repairs."

                                    *                      *                      *

 David ran down the various corridors of the _Junon_, weaving in and out of the wounded carrying wounded and Healers tending to the dead or dying.  He reached the aft section of the ship and clambered down a ladder that lead to the escape pods and escape hatches.  Landing to the ground with a slight jarring thump, he suppressed a wince as his wound protested against the harsh treatment he was giving it.  Turning around, he narrowed his eyes, as he knew what he was looking for but could not find it…

There…there it was.  David headed to what looked to be a simple panel in the wall and pressed his hand against a part of the panel.  "David A. Sheridan, _Shok'Nali_ of the _Junon_.  _Entil'zha veni_, in Valen's name.  Password, Blade Bale-fire Two-Two Niner," he spoke calmly to the panel and it suddenly hissed open, revealing two thermonuclear disks and a small hand-held keypad.

He knew that his father had tried this on a Minbari cruiser, the _Black Star_ back during the Earth-Minbari War and he knew that it was one of their last hopes if the Raiders weren't to escape.  But there was one slight problem…there wasn't an asteroid field or debris filled area to plant the thermonuclear device and lure in the lone Raider ship back to destroy them.  He knew that the Raider ship was still out there, judging by what his controls told him, but he couldn't be too sure.

"So, I have the thermo nuke…the keypad…but nothing to attach it on," he muttered wirily to himself as he took the nuke-disc carefully out.  He didn't really know how to handle one of these things, but he was thankful that his Uncle Mike had taught him long ago about devices such as this.  _At least I know how to program it…he thought silently; maybe I could attach it to this ship and just blow all of us sky high.  You know…live for the One, die for the One…_

He quirked a small smile as he knew that he would be living and dying for his father, who was the One, the _Entil'zha_…it was ironic.  "I don't think Rendelli would be too happy to die by nuclear explosion…" he muttered to himself as he turned from closing the panel tightly and frowned as his eyes scanned the interior of the escape bay…

A suddenly idea struck him and he grinned wolfishly staring from the nuke to the escape pods.  It was perfect.

                                    *                      *                      *

"This is Engine Control, jump engines are online, we can jump anytime," a voice from the engine room crackled through the comm unit and Rendelli nodded and was about to reply when a gasp came from Talenn.

"_Shok'Na_!  All escape pods are launching!  With life signs in them!" he exclaimed and Rendelli turned, his eyes wide.

"What?!  By whose authorization?" he asked.

"Mine, _Shok'Na_," David's voice said from the door to the Command Bridge and Rendelli turned around to face the Human…no, he couldn't call what David was because he was essentially half Human half Minbari, a spawn of sorts in his own opinion, but he kept a respect for David Sheridan not because of his parents, but because of David's abilities.  But that still didn't warrant the fact that the escape pods had been launched without most of the crew escaping on them…

"What did you do, David Sheridan," Rendelli rounded from his seat and towards the Human-Minbari spawn who had the nerve to look smug in the middle of the crisis.

"Just wait a few minutes _Shok'Na_ Rendelli," Sheridan replied a bit too calmly.

"Sir!  The Raider ship, it's back!  And it has…picked up the life pods," Talenn's voice dropped to a whisper as he hastily breathed a quick prayer in Valen's name to protect those aboard the pods.

"You!  Just sacrificed some of the crew for what?  Is this your weapon?!" Rendelli didn't know whether or not to kill the impudent spawn right then and there.

"Talenn, have all the pods been captured?" David was still way too calm about this whole thing and Rendelli knew that the rest of the surviving crew was staring at the two of them, wondering if he was going to kill the spawn or let this action continue.

"Mensan, any weapons at all?" he asked the weapons officer, his voice breaking towards pleading as he knew that if the Warrior caste found out about this incident, they would laugh him straight out of the _Anla'shok_.

"No weapons, sir," Mensan replied just as Talenn nodded a yes to David's question.

"Good," David replied and held up a keypad, "good to have life pods on a ship.  He pressed a button on the keypad and Rendelli threw an arm up to protect his sensitive eyes from the glare of a thermonuclear bomb going off inside a Raider ship.  "Talenn, open a jump point.  Our mission here has been completed," David ordered and Talenn complied.

David turned to him and Rendelli blinked as he stared at his second-in-command, one who had never commanded a battle or a ship, just destroy a Raider ship in spectacular fashion.  "Well, _Shok'Na_, may we talk about my orders in battle, now?"

Rendelli nodded, unable to say anything and gestured with his hand to go out of the Command Bridge and to one of the conference rooms aboard the ship.  David obliged and walked out and he followed, shaking his head.  David Sheridan was in ways, a lot like his father.

                                    *                      *                      *

Location: Enroute to Minbari Homeworld, Minbar – Hyperspace 

David Sheridan sat in a cross-legged position, his hands resting on his lap, eyes closed and breathing slowly.  Meditation in front of a Triluminary helped calm his mind, body, and soul as he recalled the last few hours' events.  Rendelli had at first been furious with him, but then after an hour of arguing with him had grudgingly admitted that it was a good tactic, though foolish one at times.  Rendelli had then told him to see a Healer and to get some rest before they arrived back on Minbari, ready to report to the Grey Council and _Entil'zha_.  He knew that he had been sitting on his haunches for at least four hours, but he didn't feel the slightest discomfort as he was already used to this, being trained into him by his mother.  During the four-hour period he had felt something pass through his mind, something warm yet sad, but dismissed it.

Inwardly, he smiled as images of his mother rose to the surface of his mind.  He missed her very much and hadn't seen either of his parents for roughly a year.  Training with the Rangers kept him from his home, but he knew that his mother and father kept him in their thoughts every day.  And with his mother being President of the Interstellar Alliance she was very busy with her work on keeping treaties, meeting with diplomatic officials, and whatever the galaxy had to throw at the ISA, he rarely even spent time with her.

He let out another slow breath and cleared his mind, letting it wander…  "Hello Talenn," he greeted his long time friend as the door to his quarters aboard the _Junon_ hissed open.  His mind could sort of sense who was coming in or going out, but David knew that had had not even one remote chance of being a telepath…it was just in his genetics that he was able to pinpoint those he knew the best.  "You are troubled, my friend," he said neutrally, not opening his eyes as he kept his mind clear of thoughts.  The same presence of sadness started to creep up again and he knew that there was something wrong.

"David," Talenn's voice cracked slightly and David mentally raised an eyebrow.  This was something new, as he knew that the Minbari never broke down or anything.  Talenn always kept his composure during the worst times and worst battles.

"David," Talenn started again but hesitated, "David…we've just gotten word that the _Entil'zha_ has died…David, your father has died."

David Sheridan opened his eyes to see the Triluminary in front of him glow brightly and he felt a tear roll slowly down his cheek, only to be pulled away by the Triluminary's glow and the object flared brightly once before fading.

It was then that tears started to fall silently from his face as he stared at the Triluminary.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's Notes:**

            Done.  I started to write this in February after the _Legend of the Rangers_ premiere, but got sidetracked.  Now finished…with the first chapter!  Shadow Chaser signing off…6/6/02.  ^_^x


	2. The Hand that Reaches a Thirdspace

Babylon 5: To Walk the Line Between Darkness and Light 

By: Shadow Chaser

**Author's Notes:**

            _Babylon 5_ and all characters do not belong to me, they belong to J. Michael Strazynski; I am not making a profit out of this.  I hope you enjoy my offering to the B5 community.  Plot is sort of revealed in this chapter as more mystery is abounded.  Maybe I should change the second genre to Mystery…hmmm…

Chapter 2 – The Hand that Reaches a Thirdspace 

They were upon him again, calling out to him, their feeler-like claws reaching out for him, trying to embrace him.  David shrank back as far as he could from the touch of the Shadows, trying to blend himself in with the wall that had mysteriously appeared in his dreams.  He hated the dark creatures, hated them for what they did to his mind.  They twisted him, changed him, and used him for their own purposes all those years ago.

"No…get away from me," he tried to push them away as those glowing eyes of the Shadows turned towards him.

"You will be one of us," they hissed at him and he let out a slight whimper of fear, "come Little One, you will become…"

"Stay away from him, Children," a new voice spoke up and David blinked slightly against the bright light as an alien, a cross, of what he thought was, a Lumati and a Soul Hunter, even though he had never seen a Soul Hunter before, he remembered his parents showing him pictures of them and his Uncle Mike talking about the twice encounter with a Soul Hunter.

"But…Creator," one of the Shadows seemed to be whining which made David start slightly…where was he anyways?  He looked around and saw that he was on a balcony, over looking a deep crater and buildings that looked like mounds.  The dirt or soil, or whatever it was, was a dirty brick red and black things crawled over the place.  A piercing cry that reverberated through his skull and ears made him wince slightly and he looked up to see something that remotely resembled Minbari Fire Crabs flying overhead.

"No, Young Shadow, this one is not to be touched.  You have already touched his father, and your allies have tainted this one.  Leave him be," the Soul Hunter-Lumati whispered in a kind but firm voice.

"The Drakh are not our allies, Creator," the Shadow replied.

"But they fought in your name, yes?  That was one of your greatest mistakes…" the alien replied then waved his hand, "go now.  Return to your slumber.  You are not needed yet."

"Who…" David found that his lips didn't really work properly and cleared his throat, "Who…are…you?"

"The Vorlon question, isn't it David Sheridan?" the alien replied.

"What…do you…want?" he managed to get out.

"Ah," the alien looked slightly pleased if not for his quizzical nature, "the Shadow question.  Well…I suppose it's good as any time to answer your questions.  You know, your father asked me the same thing while he was here.  I am called by your people Lorien, and before you ask where we are; we are at Z'ha'dum, twenty years ago, give or take a few months.  What I want with you, is to show you the past…"

                                    *                      *                      *

Talenn sat in his bubble encased controls at the navigation system, watching as the numbers ticked off slowly, each one bringing them closer to Minbar.  He didn't know what emotion to feel as they had just been relayed the message that _Entil'zha_ and former President of the Interstellar Alliance, John Sheridan had died.  It was as if an empty vacant space had just filled him, leaving him alone and vulnerable to the world.  If this was what he was feeling, he didn't know how David felt…_it must be torture for him_, he thought silently as he tapped a few buttons within the bubble, bringing in more readouts.

"Talenn, how is he?" Rendelli's voice was void of all emotions and Talenn glanced at their captain.  He knew that the captain was referring to David and shrugged.

"I checked over a standard half-hour ago, he was asleep, but…I do not know the full extent of his emotions as I can only feel through them, not sense them like a telepath would," he replied.

"Hmmm…" Rendelli looked thoughtful and Talenn noticed that the other Minbari and Human crews that were on duty were staring at the two of them.  He could tell by their facial expressions that they too were shocked by the news of Sheridan's passing.  He was only _Entil'zha_ for roughly seven years, barely enough time to make a dent in the _Anla'shok_, but enough for his death to bring at least everything to a screeching halt.

He was only a youngling learning the ways of the Religious caste underneath the tutelage of Rathenn when Sheridan had became President of the Interstellar Alliance and Lady Delenn was the _Entil'zha_ of the _Anla'shok_.  Right then and there he had wanted to join with the _Anla'shok_, to become one of them, to fight for the wrongs and rights the Alliance so much stood for.  His parents had died during the Shadow War and his older sister was among the missing after a report came in saying that the White Star she was assigned to had gone missing during the last phase of the Shadow War.

Rathenn had originally forbade him to join the _Anla'shok_, but seeing his natural gift for sensing the needs of others and the agility with a denn'bok, he had reluctantly agreed and let him join near the end of the Centauri Prime Crisis.  Like so many other young new recruits, he had hero-worshipped the members of the _Anla'shok_, and was eager to join.

It was then and there, during one of the training sessions, that he had met David Sheridan, who was a frightened teenager, but very skilled in the denn'bok.  He never found out why David was so scared during his first few years as a Ranger Trainee, and he guessed that he would never find out, but somehow, he knew it was connected to the Centauri Prime Crisis in a way…

"Talenn!" Rendelli's voice broke through his thoughts and he snapped back to attention, cursing himself for being so out of it.  "Pay attention, next time and do not let your thoughts wander.  I asked you for the time of approach to Minbar."

Pressing a few buttons, Talenn brought up a diagnostic screen, "Roughly another eight hours, _Shok'Na_."

"Thank you," Rendelli replied and Talenn closed the screen.  He glanced back to where the door to the other parts of the Junon led to and wondered if David, sleeping in one of its cabins, was even all right.  He was worried for his friend and hoped that by sleeping, David was able to purge the demons that were threatening to consume him.

                                    *                      *                      *

David narrowed his eyes shrewdly at the alien named Lorien.  "We…we can't be…at Z'ha'dum," he said, his words coming out easier than before.

"Look, David, look," Lorien gestured with a long hand and suddenly David found himself floating in the air.  He looked down and saw that a person was crawling towards the balcony where he once stood, the person in a black uniform of the Interstellar Alliance.  The person was bleeding freely from many wounds and looked slightly disoriented.

Suddenly there was a scratching sound that was extremely loud, as if someone had turned up the volume down where the figure had turned, staring at a woman with red-blonde hair and a twisted expression on her face.  Following her were two spidery creatures, each clicking their pinchers together.

"John…there is no where to run.  Come back inside; we can work this out…" the woman said in a seductive coyly voice and David started slightly.  He glanced at Lorien who was floating beside him, but the alien merely pointed down towards the two Humans, one of them whom was his father.

"I know this isn't the Anna that you knew, but I am what was made in her...a new personality. She can never come back, but I can love you as well as she did," the twisted Human woman said moving a step forward and David saw his father scramble to the ledge of the balcony and was looking downwards, towards the gaping mile, two mile hole.  A sudden realization gripped his heart and he reached out a hand.

"NO!  Don't!" he tried to move to stop his father, but something was hold him back.

"There is nothing you can do, David, this is all in the past," Lorien's soothing voice washed over him and he stopped fighting the grip.

Suddenly he saw his father staring straight at him…no beyond him and glance up to where his father was looking.  He saw the faint image of a White Star, burning up from the atmospheric conditions, bearing down towards them, afterburners on full.

"_Jump.  Jump now_," a disembodied voice spoke, reverberating through the area.

He suddenly saw his father take a leap out into the open space, hanging there for a fraction of a second before plunging down.  "NOOO!!" his cry echoed as he closed his eyes, unable to watch.

Suddenly, he landed a bit painfully on his hands and knees and opened his eyes to see that he was in a dark cavern, dimly lit by firelight.  He scrambled from the ground, kicking up some fine dust and looked around.  Now where was he?

"Listen, watch, David.  You need to understand," Lorien spoke quietly next to him, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise up slightly in shock.

"Would you stop that?  Stop creeping up on me," he spun around angry at the alien.

"Are you sure, that it is me you are talking to?  Or are you talking to me," he pointed over David's shoulder and David turned around, only to blink in surprise as he saw his father, sitting, bundled up in a woolen blanket, shivering by a small fire he had created.  Beyond him, he saw Lorien walking up towards his father and turned slightly back, but Lorien wasn't behind him anymore.

His father looked up and a cross between suspicion and relief crossed his face, "Who are you?"

"Who are _you_?" Lorien replied cryptically and David began to see that his father looked slightly, indiscreetly, transparent for some odd reason.

He watched Lorien sit down and stare at his father with eyes that showed too much knowledge.

"How did I get here?" Sheridan asked.

"You were born," Lorien replied in a simple fashion as if it was something to be taught to a young child.

"Why am I alive?"

"Well, that is the question isn't it?  Do you mind if I share your fire?"

"No," David frowned as his father shook his head, looking the worse for wear when suddenly he found himself looking from another angle, but this time his father was looking around the cave, face set and stubborn.

"It's a dangerous question, isn't it?  There's never a good answer to it.  I suppose that's the point.  Now, what you are, that is a question that I can answer, at least in your case.  You're dead," Lorien's voice was so simple and seemingly innocent that David started to feel a boil of anger rise up within him.  How dare this alien talk to his father as if he was some kind of corporeal spirit, just floating…wait a minute, he frowned again as he stared at his father who was staring at Lorien like he had grown another head.  That would explain the reason Sheridan looked a bit transparent…

"Now that's enough!"

"How long have to been here?"

"I…don't know…a day, maybe two…"

"The sun has risen and set nine times.  You haven't eaten, you ought to be starving.  Are you hungry?  Thirsty?  Does blood still flow through your veins?  Does it?"

"There's no pulse…"

"Because, my reluctant friend, you are quite, quite dead."

_Then my father had died already?  Twenty years ago?_ He thought silently to himself as the images blurred together and he suddenly found himself in a room, decorated with suite-style wallpaper.  He noticed both his mother and father, much younger, while Lorien looked on from a distance, his face betraying no emotions.

"I did the best I could.  I gave him back a portion of his life, but only a portion," Lorien sounded saddened, but then again, David really wasn't good at grasping emotions from the weird alien's voice.

"How long?" the younger version of his mother asked, hushed and afraid.

"In human terms, barring injury and illness…perhaps twenty years.  But no more than that."

"Twenty years?"

"I'll be in my early sixties by then.  It's a good run, Delenn," Sheridan tried to reassure her, but David felt his heart break at watching his father trying to comfort his mother.

"You told me that Humans live to be one hundred years old, even older.  You can't-"

"Twenty years, no more.  And then, one day…he will simply…stop."

Suddenly a dizzy feeling washed over David and he found himself back on board the _Junon_, in his room.  He felt a bit odd staring at himself sleeping and whirled around to face Lorien who had an impassive expression his face.

"So that's it?  My dad just…stopped?" he asked, not noticing the rise in his voice.

"Yes," Lorien replied then looked to his right and David recoiled as a Vorlon in an encounter suit appeared out of nowhere.  "Kosh Naranek was supporting your father during the brief period between my life force transfers.  He valued your father's courage and love for life and let a piece of his consciousness reside within your father.  That is why he told your father to jump off the balcony at Z'ha'dum.  Kosh knew I was there, waiting…"

"My mother told me that the Vorlons, Shadows, and your kind…which I think you're a First One, aren't you Lorien?"

"The First One, David Sheridan."

"Yeah…you were supposed to leave for beyond the Rim, never to return…so then…how come you're here?"

"_To make you understand_," Kosh spoke up, his tinkling musical voice warm.

"Understand what?  That my father is dead?  That he was already dead twenty years ago?  That you kept a life support on him?!  Is that it?" David exploded.  He didn't like Lorien or Kosh, even though the Vorlon seemed nice.  It was just that he didn't like anything that remotely had to do with Shadows or Drakh.

"_Patience_," Kosh's voice stopped him in the middle of his fury.  "_You are still growing, David Sheridan.  You do not understand our ways-_"

"Well, your ways are a damned ancient history," he threw back at the Vorlon.

"_There is a Darkness coming, and you must face it.  It has been clawing at the doors to Thirdspace, but never successful.  Now, it comes and you will have to choose allies.  Choose wisely, or else you will fail._"

"_Destiny had not been written for you, but you will have limited time.  Protect those who are close to you Young One.  Do not make the mistakes we did_," a new voice spoke up and David suddenly shrank back as a Shadow approached him, one feeler out in a gesture of peace.  "_Choose, the easy or hard way.  The trials will be harsh, the rewards minimal, but this must be accomplished to drive back the Darkness._"

"Why…why the hell are you talking to me?!  Why all this?!" David shouted at them as he felt something heavy pull at him and their images became blurred and dark.

"They are massing at Z'ha'dum," the faint whisper of Lorien's voice echoed after him.

David suddenly woke up with a start; bolting upright from his forty-five degree angled bed, and fell off, landing to the ground with a painful thump.  He blinked slightly and realized that he was back aboard the Junon, everything quiet and proper.  The Triluminary that had belonged to his mother was glinting a dim light on his side table and he lifted a hand to rub his eyes.

That was when he felt wetness on his cheek and realized that he had been crying during his sleep…crying for his father, mother, and whatever else was going on.  _Why me…_he silently pounded a fist on the deck of the _Junon_.

                                    *                      *                      *

**Author's Notes:**

            Yeah, sad, creepy chapter.  Yep, the Shadows and Vorlons will be making a return in this series (don't worry, not all of them, just some of them).  I also have a concept to the Thirdspace/The Hand scenario.  It'll be explained later.  I dunno…I feel that some people portray David too much like his father so I'm trying to get away from that stereotypical imagery.  He's changed a lot, I think, so…is it change for the best or worst?  Oh yeah, all quotes by Sheridan and Delenn in this chapter along with some Lorien ones, are attributed to: _Z'ha'dum, Hour of the Wolf, Whatever Happened to Mr. Garibaldi_, and_ Falling Towards Apotheosis_.  ^_^x  Shadow Chaser signing off…6/11/02.


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